I had to do it! My response and list! 10 Greatest Prog Metal Albums kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLx-hLKKtp6cmo0.html

For me: 1) Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime 2) Fates Warning: Perfect Symmetry 3)Dream Theater: Images snd words 4) Opeth: Blackwater Park 5) Gojira: From Mars to Sirius 6) Mastodon: Crack the Skye 7) BTBAM,: Colors 8) Pain of Salvation: The Perfect Element 9) Enslaved: Riitir 10)Devin Townsend: Empath 11) Ayreon: The human equation

Great episode with lots of incredible albums mentioned. Some prog metal albums I love that were not mentioned are: Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (or any of their albums) The Ocean - Pelagial Orphaned Land - Mabool Enslaved - RIITIIR (or any of their albums from the second half of their career) Wilderun - Veil of Imagination

awesome show! ..some great lists! especially Iain and Wayne.. great to see discussion about 1 of my favorite styles of music. I have mentioned before I made a Top 200+ list + Video a couple of years ago of Prog/Extreme Metal albums, and all this discussion has me interested to follow it up, showing/talking about a Top 10+ HM's. But who knows who will actually find that past+upcoming video, I'll just add the list here for now. 1 album per artist/musician (which pains me at times to do, but whatever) Top 10 Prog Metal + HM's 1. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element I 2. Dream Theater - Awake 3. Angra - Holy Land 4. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray 5. maudlin of the Well - Map/Leaving Your Body Map 6. Between the Buried and Me - Colors 7. Soundscape - Discovery 8. Galactic Cowboys - Space In Your Face 9. Burst - Lazarus Bird 10. Savatage - Handful of Rain Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness Subterranean Masquerade - Suspended Animation Dreams Protest the Hero - Kezia Cynic - Focus Zero Hour - The Towers of Avarice Orphaned Land - Mabool In Vain - The Latter Rain Sculptured - Embodiment Opeth - Ghost Reveries Faith No More - The Real Thing Spawn of Possession - Incurso Superior - Younique Queensryche - Promised Land Martyr - Feeding the Abscess East of the Wall - The Apologist Shadow Gallery - Shadow Gallery The Faceless - Akeldama System of a Down - Mezmerize SikTh - Death of a Dead Day OSI - Office of Strategic Influence UneXpect - In a Flesh Aquarium Vektor - Black Future Crimson Glory - Transcendence Also a Prog Metal SONGS list was something I talked about and would love to do soon.

Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Ayreon project needs a shout out when it comes to top-tier Prog-Metal! 'The Human Equation', 'Into the Electric Castle', '01011001' and 'The Source' are masterpieces

My top 10 and honestly I could fill half the list with Opeth but will spread the love 10 - Queensryche Operation Mindcrime 9 - Dream Theater Awake 8 - Enslaved Riitir 7 - The Ocean Pelagial 6 - Wilderun Epigone 5 - Mastodon Blood Mountain 4 - Fates Warning Awaken the Guardian 3 - Tool Lateralus 2 - Vanden Plas The Seraphic Clockwork 1 - Opeth Blackwater Park

My personal list 10 The forest seasons_wintersun 9 Automata 2_beetween the buried and me 8 aenima_tool 7metropolis pt2_dream theater 6 operation mindcrime_queensryche 5opeth_damnation 4 divine wings of tragedy-simphony x 3 deadwing_porcupine tree 2 10 000 days_tool 1 six degrees of inner turbulance_ dream theater

Iain is "The Gentle Giant" in human form

Love this topic! My favorites: Wilderun: Veil of Imagination, Epigone Veil is my favorite album of the last 10 years or so. Incredible symphonic folk prog with some death metal. Opeth: Blackwater Park,Ghost Reveries, Watershed Elder: Omens Caligula’s Horse: In Contact Exivious: Liminal Blood Incantation: Hidden History of the Human Race Dream Theater: Awake Alkaloid: Liquid Anatomy Haken: The Mountain Liquid Tension Experiment: s/t And others which are prog adjacent but not prog: Dodecahedron: kwintessens (avant black metal with prog leanings) Textures: Phenotype (proggy djent) Thantifaxath: Sacred White Noise (more avant black metal) Afterbirth: In But Not Of (proggy death/post metal)

Great episode. Here are my favorite progressive metal albums for today. I'm sure it will change two hours from now. 10 Zero Hour - The Towers of Avarice 09 Watchtower - Control and Resistance 08 The Contortionist - Language 07 Devin Townsend - Terria 06 Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy 05 Mastodon - Leviathan 04 Dream Theater - Awake 03 Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry 02 Opeth - Blackwater Park 01 Opeth - Still Life

VOIVOD-Nothingface CYNIC-Focus Hammera of misfotune-The Basterd Spiral architect-A sceptic universe Shaolin death squad-Intellgent design

Seeing this is like finding a treasure chest to a metal fan, thanks for all these recommendations!

Such a great video, and fantastic panel. Wish I was on this one ☝️. I’m going to have to make a response video, aren’t I? 😂🤘

Great episode! My favourite genre! Here's my top 10: 1. Protest the Hero - Kezia 2. Between the Buried and Me - Colors 3. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory 4. Haken - Aquarius 5. The Human Abstract - Digital Veil 6. Tesseract - Altered State 7. Native Construct - Quiet World 8. Today I Caught the Plague - Lore 9. Caligula’s Horse - Moments from Ephemeral City 10. Art by Numbers - Reticence: The Musical

10. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime 9. Katotonia - The Great Cold Distance 8. Mastodone - Leviathan 7. Haken - Visions. 6. Redemption - The Origins of Ruin 5. Riverside - Anna Domini High Definition 4. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray 3. Symphony X - The Odessey 2. Opeth - Black Water Park 1. Dream Theater - Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a memory

Beyond The Bridge - The Old Man and the Spirit IM GONNA JUST LEAVE THIS RIGHT RIGHT HERE

My 10 favorite Prog Metal Albums 1. Opeth - Ghost Reveries 2. Dream Theater - Train of Thought 3. Devin Townsend - Empath 4. Between the Buried and Me - Colors 5. Haken - The Mountain 6. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet 7. Enslaved - In Times 8. Fates Warning - Theories of Flight 9. Queensryche - The Verdict 10. Symphony X - The Odyssey Honorable Mentions: Tool - Laterlaus Nospun - Opus Ayreon - 01011001 Mastodon - Crack the Skye Obscura - Omnivium

1. Rush - “Hemispheres” (1978) 2. Dream Theater - “Awake” (1994) 3. Queensryche - “Rage For Order” (1986) 4. Enchant - “Juggling Nine Or Dropping Ten” (2000) 5. Whom Gods Destroy - “Insanium” (2024) 6. Savatage - “Streets” (1991) 7. Redemption - “The Origins Of Ruin” (2007) 8. Iron Maiden - “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” (1988) 9. A.C.T - “Silence” (2006) 10. Manilla Road - “The Circus Maximus” (1992) Pain Of Salvation - “Remedy Lane” Blotted Science - “The Machinations Of Dementia”

My list is more about stuff I like not on the stream: Allegaeon - DAMNUM Atheist - Unquestionable Presence Charlie Griffiths (Haken) - Tiktaalika Cynic - Traced In Air Ne Obliviscaris - Exul Obscara - A Valediction Seventh Wonder - Testament Sun Caged - Artemisia Zero Hour - Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace Other good bands: Epica, Boknagar, Enslaved, Turbulence

Great show Scott really enjoyed listening to your panels favorite metal albums.

Below The Lights - Enslaved Dreamweaver - Sabbat Awaken The Gaurdian - Fates Warning

Enchant= A Blueprint Of The World Lemur Voice = Divided Greyhaven = Greyhaven Empty Tremor = Eros & Thanatos Dream Theater = Images & Words Paynes Gray = Kadath Decoded.

Not a big prog metal guy so these are more heavy prog 5. Rush - Hemispheres 4. Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself 3. King Crimson - The Power To Believe 2. Coheed And Cambria - Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness 1. Tool - Fear Inoculum

I will just say, great episode. Don't know anything about prog metal, but if I find some time I will listen to some albums. Cheers.

Some amazing music discussed as per usual Scot. As a few people here I'm sure , I'm not quite as informed with this sub genre , but of what I do know and have heard it is a hugely exciting and warranted angle on rock , and I need to explore even further with it..A fantastic stream again my friend , great guests and great chat. 👍👍😍🎵🤘

Great topic and panel. I had an unexpected smile hearing The Origin of Ruin" by Redemption. Among others mentioned.

Oodles of fun Scot. Although I like some prog metal I don't love it. As I've said I think the best prog is made out of wood and not steel. But it's always a gas listening to you peeps and of course sharing in the fun chat in the peanut gallery. Til next week Scot.

Just adding this I think someone mentionned it Wake Of Magellan by Savatage. What a strong Progesssive Metal and Concept Album.

Tara picked most of the same bands as I would but different albums. 1. Deloused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta 2. Images and Words - Dream Theater 3. Awake - Dream Theater 4. Remedy Lane - Pain of Salvation 5. Lateralus - Tool 6. Crack the Sky - Mastodon 7. Deadwing - Porcupine Tree 8. Blackwater Park 9. The Sound of Perseverance - Death 10. Still Life - Opeth. More like 10 than top 10. Hard to rank.

Another band for everyone to check out and forgot to mention. The F****n Champs

Fates Warning: A pleasant shade of gray Redemption: Origins of ruin Vanden Plas: Christ O Psycrence: A frail decemption Anubis Gate: Andromeda unchained Queensryche: Operation mindcrime

Great show today, Scot. Admittedly, I’m not nearly the expert on defining the greatest of Prog / Metal as you guys are. And I’m certainly interested in seeking out some of the more obscure bands, say ‘ Shadow Gallery ‘ being one of them. But I can’t help but wonder where you come out on The Cult. They’re one of my favorite metal bands of all time, but were they ever considered to be progressive enough to have been a valid point of discussion for today’s episode ?? Gotta know what your take is on them. Thanks !

Lots of good music on these lists! For me I feel like my optimal zone for music is the gray space between prog rock and prog metal. I wouldn't say outright anymore that I don't like dirty "Cookie Monster" vocals, but I do prefer clean vocals in general and I have a vaguely defined tolerance for growls and stuff. It's absolutely fine on occasion for effect, but the more of a song or album leans on them as the primary delivery the more likely I'll be to just not really get into it. (Tiktaalika by Charlie Giffiths is the example that comes to mind of the album being good but the dirty vocals being just a bit too much for me.) Maybe that'll change over time, I do plan on trying to stretch that more soon. But yeah, on the gray area, I feel like the bounds between metal and hard rock are much fuzzier than any purists would try to say it is, and that's true in prog as well. Some examples are clear cut, some aren't. Anyway, my list, in a ranked order for once even! 10. Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls - I know Seventh Son got a lot of love in this stream, and for good reason, but this is just such a proggy album - my dad complained it was too prog for him when it came out so that should say something. (Granted he once tried to argue to me that Rush wasn't prog, his only reasoning seeming to be that he liked Rush, so... there you go.) The long tracks like The Red and the Black, the title track, and Empire of the Clouds are just a fantastic experience. 9. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing - This one's mainly low because it isn't as strongly metal as the others, but it's still an amazing album, I'd say PT's strongest personally. That title track is a monster in and of itself, and add in Halo, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, and The Start of Something Beautiful, on top of mellower tracks like Lazarus, and what else do you want from an album? 8. Animals as Leaders - The Joy of Motion - Tosin Abasi is an incredible guitarist, and the rhythmic mastery on all of their albums is worth a nod. I went with this because it was what got me into the band - the track The Woven Web and its breakdown section in particular made me realize I needed to look up the rest of their stuff. 7. Dream Theater - Octavarium - It's so hard to pick just one DT album - Images & Words, Awake, Scenes From a Memory, and Train of Thought all come very close for me, and my inner contrarian wants to shout out Falling Into Infinity as overhated, but it's not quite as metal an album as their other stuff. But Octavarium is what got me into the genre to begin with, and the title track alone makes this hard to ignore. I probably prefer a lot of the other albums I named song for song, but the full experience of Octavarium converted me to prog metalhead status, so this has to be the one. And yes, it just missed spot number 8, I'm sorry. 6. Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite - Another album just one spot off from an appropriate rank, I'm sorry. And while Divine Wings and The Odyssey definitely deserve the praise given in the stream, and I actually really like basically all their other albums too and almost went with Paradise Lost, I think V is their masterpiece. The story is great, and with tracks like Evolution (The Grand Design), Fallen, Egypt, Absence of Light, A Fool's Paradise, and with Rediscovery Part II to cap it all off... It's just a near perfect album. 5. Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape - Tommy Karevik is just a powerhouse of a singer and nowhere does he shine more than this album. From the opening of Wizeman, the super accessible Alley Cat (how this didn't become a hit single is beyond me), the incessantly catchy King of Whitewater, and then the thirty minute title track to close it out, it's just incredible. The title track is an adaptation of the epic poem Aniara, about the remnants of human society drifting through space for twenty-four years until they all die out, and somehow it's still a less depressing finale than Mercy Falls had. 4. Caligula's Horse - In Contact - I know they have a bit of a reputation for being overhyped or unoriginal, but I don't care. The music is super accessible, definitely a bit less heavy than other albums on my list, but the concept is just amazing and the emotional storytelling of the lyrics and vocals is unparalelled. It's almost more of four mini-concept-albums stitched together into one tapestry, all united around the theme of human connections in their various forms. The opening volley of Dream the Dead and Will's Song (Let the Colours Run) would have been great enough already, but then it continues with the most gloriously inspirational song I've ever heard, Songs For No One, the socially-defiant rallying cry of The Cannon's Mouth, and then the closing epic, Graves, that by itself makes up the fourth and final story of the album. It's just an otherworldly experience in my book, and I still have three albums to go. 3. Tool - Lateralus - I almost went with 10,000 Days, but this album is just something else, and as overdone as it may be I had to include it. You've got The Grudge, Schism, Parabol/Parabola, the title track, and the three part Disposition/Reflection/Triad to close it out, and then The Patient and Ticks and Leeches just as a bonus? It's amazing, what more can be said? 2. Haken - Affinity - This is probably the most controversial pick for me, not because of Haken but because it's not The Mountain or Visions or Fauna. But this album just hit me at the right time in my life - I got into the band the year before it released, and was super excited to hear they were coming out with new music, I listened to the singles a ton before the album proper came out, and when it did was right near the end of my last semester of college. It had just the right mix of dark realism about the state of the world and optimism in the face of it. The ending of The Architect, when it moves from the heavy guest verse by Einar Solberg into the triumphant reprise of Initiate, still gives me chills, and even the less standout tracks like Earthrise and Red Giant hit me right in the right place. And the ending with Bound By Gravity, while it took me a bit to really grasp it, is just phenomenal. It's solidly in my top three albums of all time, alongside the number one on this list and a third that I couldn't justify calling prog metal, Terraformer by Thank You Scientist. 1. Ayreon - The Human Equation - I can't say enough how much I love this album. I love all Ayreon albums, even the relatively weaker ones. But this one's something special. Day Two: Isolation has one of the best guitar riffs I've ever heard, and the story and set of vocalists just grows from there. It's truly a fantastic concept album, the peak of both having a great story and telling it coherently, it's just fantastic all around. It's hard to single out any great moments, it's just a perfect album to me. Honorable mentions - Promised Land by Queensryche, Once by Nightwish, Isolate by Circus Maximus, Liquid Tension Experiment (admittedly excluded mainly due to overlapping with DT a bit), and Panther by Pain of Salvation (not a common pick for their best but it's the one that resonates best with me).

These are in no ranking order. These are just my top10 in order of release. I left out Queensrÿche (Operation: Mindcrime) and anything from Fates Warning. I know those two influenced most prog metal bands but I'm not sure they're considered prog metal. I could be wrong. I'm probably leaving out some bands that should be included. For the most part I don't know their catalog to give an educated opinion. I also don't listen to anything with growly/cookie monster vocals. Sorry Opeth and others. Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992) Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1996) Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt2: Scenes from a Memory. (1999) Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe (2000) Tool - Lateralus (2001) Andromeda - II=I (2003) Symphony X - Paradise Lost (2007) Redemption - Snowfall on Judgement Day (2009) Haken - The Mountain (2013) Vanden Plas - The Empyrean Equation of the Long Lost Things (2024) Honorable Mentions Tool - Ænima (1996) Andromeda - Extension of the Wish (2001) Symphony X - The Odyssey (2002) Vanden Plas - Christ 0 (2006) Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) Animals As Leaders - Joy Of Motion (2014) Haken - Fauna (2023)

🤩

Im a newbie when it comes to prog metal.

I hope Opeth gets all 10 spots.

Uh, no Shadow Gallery? Especially "Tyranny", but they're all great. Ayreon is another great project.

the Monks of Doom and Camper Van Beethoven. maybe Blind Idiot God.

👍☮️👑🐍😎

🐔 🐔 🐔 🐔 🐔! 👍

Did someone mentioned Remedy Lane?

Hmm...it seems your pal Cody doesn't like UNIT to comment on live streams. I'm also not a fan of heavy metal but it seems to me if that chap from UNIT was patient enough to watch a 1 hour 42 minute video on 'prog metal' then clearly he's taking an interest. For me, I can enjoy some of the 1980s stuff by Iron Maiden (especially for the bass guitar parts) and early Black Sabbath but otherwise, I'm too much of a folkie to ever be a big fan of the genre. An intriguing stream anyway, especially as I've heard of hardly any of the bands mentioned!

What is prog?

This was a good show, but very mainstream choices mostly. Maiden, Metallica, SOAD, BTBAM, Nevermore and the likes would not pop-up on lists by many Progpower Europe attendants. Native Construct only underground gem mentioned (plus some by Iain). The Mountain is for me Haken's worst (hate the Cockroach King) and Metropolis apart from The Astonishing Dream Theater's worst to me. Most striking is no mention whatsoever of Psychotic Waltz. They were the band that toured non stop in the nineties, bringing smaller bands along and creating a scene really. Also missing bands from the birth of the genre like Crimson Glory, Heir Apparent and Watchtower.

incredible livestream! prog metal is definitely the future and it seems to me that prog metal has overtaken oldschool prog rock in quality and originality

ghost reveries by opeth is my number 1 forever. its the best flowing album ever. regardless of genre

prog metal is a rediscovered gem. it was first made in 1970 by deep purple, the nothing happened. 1980 yes machine messiah then nothing again 1988 maiden seventh son then nothing again. 1993 opeth orchid untill the end of time

jesus christ you all must check out woe by an abstract illusion and native construct